31.12.2020 / Promotion to 7th degree

Masters way


Where to begin? Let’s try it with few years 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2020. Nice load of numbers, but what do they mean? For me personally they are important milestones.

Let’s break it down chronologically. 1992- September 28 years ago to be more specific. It was then, when this whole story began. And how? There was a recruiting poster for taekwondo on the door of our building and because it’s the early 90s it doesn’t really matter what’s on it. I had known about Taekwon-do earlier than that from TV, but it hadn’t been available then. Now there are lessons just a few hundred meters form where I live and it’s settled. What was waiting there for me? Sweatpants, T-shirt and barefooted just like the beginners nowadays plus an overcrowded gym. There were two beginner groups each about 40-50 people. Two extremely cool black belts and assistants with blue belts. Wau, it was really something. And who were those black belts? My first coaches Miloš Veselý and Láďa Halíček. So that was it, I was going to the Kerberos Taekwon-do school, which was one of the largest in the whole republic.

When you start with some sport or martial art, you don’t have an ambition to become a black belt or a world champion. Both are dreams that become goals over time. I wasn’t any different. My first goal was to become a blue belt, because all the blue belts I saw around me could do so much cool stuff. When you reach your goal, you need another one, higher one. Because where there is no goal, no dream, there is no motivation.

1994 was a year when I reached my first goal. I became a blue belt. But more importantly, there was a technical seminar with General Choi Hong-hi in Prague. Until then he was just the legend from photos, but because of a few small chances, meeting him became real. Even though I haven’t a slightest idea what to expect form a seminar for 50 USD I naturally went for it. Every minute was worth it. It was a constant combination of sitting on hard gym floor interrupted with few minutes of exercise. The five training blocks each three hours long were amazing. U wish I could go back and ask and ask. I’d probably hear his magic phrase- “Read the book.” You ask what book? The one he wrote, the Taekwon-do Encyclopedia. Two weeks ago when I was assisting Grandmaster Hwang on the international online technical seminar I instantly struck me when I saw some question in the chat, “Read the book.”

Let’s continue, because we still have a lot of years to go through. In 1995 I got my red belt and I came a little closer to the dreamed about black belt. I did the red belt exam in the gym in Vybíralova primary school. It was my first visit to the gym where Theodor Šeda led the trainings with assistance from Mirek Zeman (yes the grumpy caretaker form Vybíralova primary school) and Lucka Grégrová who I did the exams with. A 25 year old memory on our last drilling in the gymnastic hall where now Delta Fitness gym is, is not much clear now days. We both successfully completed the exam. I think it was also in 1995 when Jarda Günter jointed the ranks of black belts in Kerberos. To this day I still remember his vitality and overview of things he had.

Year 1996 began with the first kup exam. I did it together with my friends Ivan Jakůbek and Věrka Němcová. Only a very skillful little kid but then but a very successful junior representative just a few years later. In December of that year I did my black belt exam. From the present point of view, my preparation wasn’t very good, very well led to be exact and the exam itself was a bunch of surprises what I have to do. Special techniques and wirok were comparable to the now days competition standards so it was really a test of your skill. But the ones that got black belts then had their qualities and it really meant something. Present dan exams would do very well with a little more strictness. Even though the quality of preparation and technique is better than 20 years ago the quality of many black belts is much lower than it should be.

In the fall of 1997 Vyíralova primary school becomes my home gym, which leads to foundation of Sonkal in the summer of 1998. A huge chapter begins, fist on Černý Most, but later also on Rudná, Kladno, Petřiny, Jarov, Horní Počernice, Hloubětín and Velké Přílepy.

In June of 1999 General Choi Hong-hi came into Czech Republic for the third time and it was the second time I was around. It was smaller seminar than the one in 1994 but still an exceptional chance to learn from someone so special. There were also present general’s son master Choi Jung-hwa and master Hwang Ho-yong. It was really interesting to see master Choi’s perfect technique and master Hwang’s communication with General. In 1994 there were also some masters form Korea to help General but it always looked to me like they were afraid of general and nervous when talking to him. But master Hwang’s communication was calm like always.

2002 was crucial for modern Taekwon-do. Gradually, there were multiple fights inside international federation which led to ITF’s split into three separate International Taekwon-do Federations. The reason behind all this was Generals plan to resign from his position as the ITF’s president. The biggest bomb was death of General Choi on 15th of June. I remember exactly where I was when I got the information. I was preparing the tatami for local competition in the gym in Vybiralova primary school. It was a huge shock, but life goes on and Taekwon-do stays here forever.

In 2007 I passed the exam for fourth degree black belt and eventually title of international instructor. Looking back at it now this was way more crucial step than getting the first degree black belt. For years it was connected with the international instructor title. I personally started to look differently on techniques, I studied the motion way more deeply and I always tried to understand the principle of the techniques. This is the goal of lifelong study of martial art- understand the motion and be able to explain and teach the techniques based on deep understanding of them.

2011 was the year when I, together with Zbyněk Mácha, passed the fifth degree black belt exam. It was one of the best preparation for dan exams ever. The fun we had on common trainings with Zbyněk under guidance of Rostislav Kaňka. The fact we walked out of the gym while doing the Ul-Ji pattern (Ul-Ji is the widest of all patterns, it is so wide that some gyms are too small for it). Second important thing was participation on the World Championship in Pyongchang in DPRK. Mainly a visit of the Generals grave. It was pretty strange to see him buried next to important figures form the history of DPRK.

At the end of 2014 I passed the sixth black belt exams. I remember Grandmasters assurance that I’ll have enough time to warm up after leading the exams for fourth and fifth degrees. Reality was thirty seconds and let’s start.

We are nearly at the end of my historical telling. The year is 2020. Year that brought us bunch of stress, worries and new challenges. I planned to do my seventh degree black belt exams in June in Pyongchang on the occasion of 18th mourning remembering ceremony on Generals honor. This went straight out of a window with the beginning of the Covind-19 pandemic. But it is necessary to look forward and continue in your taekwondo path. I was lucky and international federation gave me an exception so I could do the exam here in Czech Republic [it’s a long lived tradition that the 7th degree black belt exams take place in Pyongyang or at the World Championship]. So instead of doing it on 15th of June in some hotel in Pyongyang I did it on 16th of September at my home gym on Černý Most. Like master Peter Poklop later sad: I brought hell on my self - Grandmaster Hwang, masters Kaňka, Zámečník and Poklop, president of Czech Taekwon-do Federation Marek Lazor and 20 black belts form Sonkal. But the last taekwondo exam in your life has to be something special, hasn’t it. I know it wasn’t the best Tong-Il in my life, certainly not the most fluent one. But the true test was to pull the certificate proving your successful passing of the exam out of its cover.

Finally I would like to thank some people, the ones that motivated me and guided me throughout the 28 years of my path.
  • Miloš Veselý – one of my first two coaches, the leader of Kerberos Taekwondo school

  • Ladislav Halíček - one of my first two coaches

  • Jaroslav Günter – another coach and for me a huge personality, a person who affected me in many things, by the way CZ-1-8

  • Theodor Šeda – leader of Sonkal, a person who taught me many things about training people and leading a school

  • Master Rostislav Kaňka – first Czech taekwondo master and a person I learned many things from and will learn in the future. And a special thanks for all the discussions about techniques, rules and other things we had every time we see each other

  • Masters Martin Zámečník a Petr Poklop – Czech masters number to and three

  • Master Jerzy Jedut – Polish legend that surprises me every year with new thing and undying enthusiasm

  • Grand Master Hwang Ho-yong – main instructor for Czech Republic for decades. Who else to learn from?

  • General Choi Hong-hi - a person who’s second name is TAEKWON-DO

  • all the past and present members of Sonkal

  • all the people I met in taekwondo and affected me or affects me to this day



  • To end it I'll end this - Whatever you want to accomplish in Taekwondo or in life, go for it. It doesn't matter if you have talent or not. I didn't have it and I never will. I had my goals, my dreams and I was persistent. I'm looking forward to someone other form Sonkal writing his story.
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